The present invention relates to a shoe cover for surgical and clean room use. Unlike conventional shoe covers which cover the entire shoe of the wearer, the shoe cover of the present invention leaves the sole of the wearer's shoe exposed so that the traction provided by the sole of the shoe itself may be utilized by the wearer.
Both disposable and reusable protective clothing have been used for many years in hospitals and clean rooms, either as primary clothing or as secondary clothing over the top of the other clothing. In the operating room, in particular, sterile protective clothing is required for the safety and protection of the patient as well as that of the operating room personnel. This type of clothing commonly includes some type of top or surgical gown which is often worn with protective pants to cover the wearer's legs. An additional article of protective wear often worn by the operating room personnel is shoe covers.
Those shoe covers known by the Applicant to be available today most typically cover the entire shoe of the wearer in addition to the ankles and possibly some other portion of the wearer's legs. Certain individuals prefer the traction of their own shoes over that of the traction provided by the shoe covers themselves. As a result, they elect not to wear shoe covers. Other hospital personnel work in areas were fire is a hazard and, as a result, grounding of the shoe cover is required. In such cases, the wearer will often have to tuck a conductive strap into his or her shoe, making the donning of the shoe cover more difficult. In contrast, if some portion of the sole of the shoe is exposed, the shoe itself can be designed to provide the necessary grounding, thereby eliminating the need for conductive shoe covers.
It therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shoe cover for use with surgical pants and other apparel which will permit the top portion of the shoe to be covered by protective apparel while still leaving at least a portion of the sole exposed for contact with walking surfaces. It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe cover which will permit exposure of least a portion of the sole of the shoe for contact with walking surfaces.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent upon a further review of the following specification, drawings and claims.